West Berkshire · London and the South East
Chimney survey in Oare, West Berkshire
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching in Oare, with drones and thermal imaging where they help. Call or email for a price.
- Pots or cowls that look unsafe
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- Unused flues sealed without airflow
DIY checks: what’s safe
Keep a simple record: when leaks happen, ground-level photos and any past roof work. Send it with your enquiry, as it helps us focus the survey.
Fresh stains on ceilings or walls after rain are worth noting. Take a photo and write down when you saw it, as it helps a surveyor trace the cause.
About our chimney survey in Oare
Our chimney survey covers the stack and the details that keep water out around it: pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, bricks and the flashings at the roof line. We also look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there is safe access. The findings come in a written report with photos and recommendations. It suits a single stack on a house as well as several on a larger building. Typical surveys look at damp on a chimney breast inside and pots or cowls that look unsafe, on chimney breasts, chimney pots and cowls and lead flashings.
Village roofs often face open fields and take the full force of wind and rain, which is hard on ridges, chimneys, flashings and gutters. Older walls take a long time to dry once water gets in. A written report sets out what to deal with and in what order. Lead flashings and old chimney stacks are often where weather gets in first.
The report is yours to share with whoever needs it: a seller or estate agent, an insurer, a roofer, a builder or a managing agent.
- Where
- Oare (RG18)
- Wider area
- West Berkshire
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- Survey days
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insured
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Phone
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Nearby places to Oare
Other services in Oare
Oare questions
Do you survey roofs for landlords with property near Newbury Racecourse station?
Yes, that is a common request. We just need to know who will give access, and the report can go straight to you or your agent.
How do I find out if my home in Oare is listed?
We can’t confirm that for you, but Historic England’s list and your council can. A change of roofing material may need consent in either case.
Can you give me structural calculations?
No. Our survey is not a structural engineer’s report. We will recommend an engineer if we see signs that call for one.
Can you survey at the weekend?
We carry out surveys on weekdays and at weekends. To find a day that suits you, phone 07833 053749 or email us.
How do you inspect a chimney without scaffolding?
We use safe viewpoints rather than climbing onto the stack. A drone inspection is part of the Premium Survey where applicable. The report is clear about anything that couldn’t be seen.
Can you survey a chimney stack we share with next door?
Yes. We check the parts we can see safely and the parts you can give us access to. Where a problem appears to be on next door’s side, we note it, so you can discuss it with them.
Why is my chimney breast damp?
Damp on a chimney breast normally means water is getting into the stack, or moisture is trapped inside it. We check the stack, the flashings and how unused flues are capped and records the likely cause.
The survey, step by step
A survey visit follows a simple order: we hear what you’ve seen, look at the roof from every safe viewpoint, photograph what we find and record our findings for the written report. It normally takes an hour or two at most homes, or half a day or so for a commercial building. Cottages and farmhouses around Oare frequently have roofs at several levels, with lean-tos and outbuildings attached. We work round each section in turn, from the safest viewpoints, and anything we cannot see is noted.
- You tell us how many stacks there are and any damp or problems you’ve noticed.
- The stacks are looked at from ground level, from windows and from other safe vantage points.
- The pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings are checked and photographed.
- Inside, we look for damp on chimney breasts and in the loft where there’s safe access.
- You get a report with photos and our recommendations.
How to prepare
- Let us know about parking before the day
- Find any records of previous roof work
- For a flat or shared roof, check access with the freeholder or managing agent
Arrange a survey
Surveys can be booked for weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays. To arrange a day that suits you, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form with the address and the days you’d prefer.
Related advice
Chimney surveys in Oare: local notes
In this part of the South East, older roofs are mostly slate or clay tile and many newer ones concrete tile. Knowing the covering helps explain which parts of a roof are likely to need work first. Historic houses such as Shaw House, about 4 miles south-west, show how far back building in the area around Oare goes. Older homes in the wider area often have features worth a closer look, such as lead valleys, tall stacks and roofs that have been patched over the years, and the council can say whether a home is in a conservation area.
Landlords with a home close to Newbury Racecourse station may find that knowing the condition of the roof, chimneys and gutters helps you plan work rather than react to complaints. Anyone responsible for a site like Hermitage Primary School will know that large buildings have long gutter runs and big roofs that need checking like any other. For an older house near a landmark such as Church of St Bartholomew, old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs.
Oare is about 4 miles north of Thatcham, in West Berkshire. Oare gets the same service as everywhere else we work: a careful inspection, photographs and a written report. Our area takes in places right across West Berkshire. You can also see our page for Reading.
Postcode districts we cover here for chimney surveys: RG18. That includes homes and businesses on Manor Lane and Old Street. We also cover the places around Oare: Little Hungerford (1 mile south-east), Hermitage (1 mile south), Wellhouse (1 mile south-east), Longlane (1 mile south) and Curridge (2 miles south-west). Larger places within reach include Newbury (5 miles south-west), Thatcham (4 miles south), Burghfield Common (10 miles south-east), Speenhamland (5 miles south-west), Hungerford (11 miles west) and Spencers Wood (14 miles east).
Near you in Oare
Around Oare, our work takes us to homes and buildings near The White Horse pub. The nearest railway station is Newbury Racecourse station, about 4.7 miles south. Other landmarks nearby include Hampstead Norris Castle (1.8 miles north-east) and West Berkshire Community Hospital (4 miles south). Open spaces near Oare include Snelsmore Common.
Landlord and commercial surveys in Oare
Landlords and agents in Oare book surveys as well as householders. The report gives you a dated record of the chimney stack, with photographs, which helps you plan work between tenancies.
Freeholders and residents’ companies use a roof report to plan and budget, with the most urgent items set out first.
What we look for on each type of roof
Chimney breasts and the loft
If a chimney breast has been removed below, we note what we can see of the support above. Confirming the support is a job for a structural engineer.
Rendered stacks
Water can get in through cracks and then struggle to dry out. Cracks are photographed and noted.
What we cannot see
A survey is a close look at the chimney stack, but it cannot do everything. The main limits are:
- Hidden sides of a shared stack
- A structural engineer’s assessment
- What’s inside the brickwork or behind render, without opening up
If you’re not sure which survey you need, phone 07833 053749 or use the contact form and we will give you a straight answer before booking. The full list of what we check.
What this survey covers
- Brick chimney stacks
- Lead flashings
- Chimney breasts
- Chimney pots and cowls
- Shared and party-wall stacks
- Flaunching
What affects the price in Oare
To price your survey, we check:
- The package you choose: Basic, Standard or Premium
- How big the roof is
- If the survey needs thermal imaging or a drone
- How many separate roofs there are, such as extensions, dormers and garages
Simple, low roofs take less time to survey than tall or complicated ones, and the package you pick makes a difference too. We will give you the figure before anything is booked.
What we need to know
These details help when you contact us:
- Your postcode, so we can check access and travel
- Any marks or damp showing indoors
- The kind of building and roof involved
- Anything about access we should know
If you’re buying, it’s useful to book soon after your offer is accepted, so you have the findings in time to act on them before you exchange. Otherwise, simply phone 07833 053749 or drop us an email whenever suits you.